Hyderabad, May 14 (Maxim News): In a historic step towards women empowerment, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited has initiated measures to appoint women as heavy dumper operators for the first time in the company’s 130 year history.
The decision follows directions issued by the Telangana government to create greater employment opportunities for women in Singareni operations.
The initiative is being implemented under the guidance of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu.
Singareni currently operates massive dumpers with capacities ranging from 60 to 100 tonnes in its opencast mines.
These vehicles transport coal and overburden material from mining quarries to the surface.
For nearly five decades of opencast mining operations, only male employees handled these heavy vehicles because the work demands advanced driving skills, physical endurance and the ability to work across three shifts in extreme weather conditions.
Women Employees Trained For Heavy Vehicle Operations
With increasing participation of women employees and the State government’s emphasis on gender equality, Singareni management decided to encourage women workers to take up responsibilities traditionally considered male dominated.
The company invited applications from interested women employees willing to work as dumper operators in opencast mines.
Initially, around 35 women employees expressed interest in the programme.
Since operating heavy dumpers requires both regular driving licences and Heavy Motor Vehicle licenses, the management arranged free HMV training for women employees at the Telangana Institute of Driving Education and Skills in Sircilla.
The entire training programme was conducted at company expense.
Out of the 35 applicants, 13 women employees successfully completed the HMV training programme and informed management about their readiness to work as dumper operators.
Officials stated that these trained employees would be considered during the upcoming dumper operator recruitment process.
Historic Move Towards Women Empowerment
Singareni officials described the initiative as a revolutionary step aligned with the Telangana government’s vision for women empowerment.
They expressed confidence that women employees would soon operate heavy dumpers in large numbers across Singareni mines.
Some of the trained women employees admitted they initially felt nervous about operating such massive vehicles because of the physical demands and technical skills required.
However, they said the training programme helped them gain confidence after successfully operating the dumpers during practical sessions.
The employees stated that women were already excelling in every field, including science, technology and space exploration, proving that mining operations were also within their capabilities.
Officials further highlighted that women employees were already working successfully in the blasting division at the Khairiguda Opencast Mine in Bellampalli, one of the company’s most challenging operational sectors.
The company also recently formed its first ever women rescue team in its history.
Singareni management stated that more equal opportunities would be created for women employees in challenging sectors in the coming years. (Maxim News)
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